Awake
by bStormhands
Summary: A quiet little story about Prince Phillip and the Princess Aurora getting to know each other.


~ Awake ~

Briar Rose glided down the stairs from the bedrooms, wiped the bannister and put the broom away.

Aunt Merryweather was finishing up the breakfast dishes and Flora and Fauna were bustling around.

"Thank you for cleaning up, dear. I'll take that." Said Aunt Merryweather taking the dirty dusting cloth and flapping it clean out the window.

"I'll go outside and play with my forest friends, if that's alright?" asked Briar Rose. It was almost her sixteenth birthday and it didn't seem like her dear aunts had made her anything yet. This would give them time alone, if they remembered, but she wasn't sure how to remind them.

"Yes, yes, dear. That'll be fine, just don't talk to strangers." Reminded Aunt Flora.

"And don't go too far," said Aunt Merryweather.

"Enjoy yourself dear," said Aunt Fauna.

"Goodbye." Briar Rose said.

"Goodbye," her aunts chorused back.

It was a warm summer's day, though Rose missed the coolness of the spring nights, so she didn't bother to take her shawl, which would only get in the way.

The soft grass tickled her callused feet slightly as she walked around the cottage, her beautiful home. Aunt Merryweather kept trying to make shoes but they never seemed to come out right and tended to make her feet hurt.

Several small birds came warbling down around her.

"Good morning." she said to them. Choosing a cardinal she asked, "Would you mind waiting here and listening for my aunts to call me?"

The cardinal would be mostly happy too, he liked being with her.

"And I like being with you, too." Rose smiled.

Soon they were out of sight of the cottage. Rose looked back to make sure, smiled, hitched up her skirts and took off running. Some days were filled with chores, cleaning the cottage and tending the grounds. Other days she would help her aunts with their duties, as they went around the forest caring for the plants and animals, but some days, like today, were all hers, to do as she pleased.

She liked to run, in her youthful enthusiasm, for the joy of running and to leap and bound, as the notion took her, over rocks and rills.

An entourage of small animals and birds had joined her today, reveling in her joy. Her little friends from her youngest days. Aunt Fauna had introduced her to so many of them, though now most were children or grandchildren of her original friends. The circle of life did not diminish her joy now.

As she ran she knew she was coming up on one of the many rivers in the forest and so took to the trees, waving goodbye to the rabbits that could not climb as she spun around as she leapt up from a boulder to grab a branch. Tree to tree and upward branch to higher branch she climbed, swung and jumped.

Rose took a running start and leapt from a long thin branch out over the stream and down she flew the wind streaming in her hair, and her dress flapping behind her. She grabbed a branch on the other side of the river and as her bare feet touched the cool grass, let go and walked calmly away as the branch snapped back and the leaves shivered from her stunt. A few steps and she was at the edge of a lovely meadow. She picked a melon she and Aunt Flora had planted, broke it open on a rock and shared with her friends as they gathered around her.

Rose sat with her back to a tree. As she rested a little she looked up and peaked around another tree to gaze at the Forbidden Mountain, looming over the trees. Dark clouds surrounded the tall black peak. Lightning licked down, and thunder faintly rumbled past as she slowly counted to thirty-four.

Briar Rose shivered in the shade of the trees. She often went to gaze at the village and the beautiful white castle but sometimes she came here to gaze at the Forbidden Mountain. There was something compelling about the darkness that she wanted to know more about, but her aunts had only told her to never go to the mountain, a wicked witch lived there that wanted to hurt people. Rose needed to stay in the forest to stay safe.

Briar Rose stayed safe in her forest, but she still looked at the Forbidden Mountain.

Briar Rose woke up. She had never woken up like this before. Her lips were all warm as something pressed against them. Her body was feeling so strange like something was flowing out of her.

She wasn't sure she wanted to wake up. The dreams had been so good. She had been dreaming about her true love, the young man from the forest she had met that day, or was it yesterday?

Would she ever be happy again after what had happened?

She was awake and could not sleep again, so she opened her eyes.

Before her was the young man from the forest, the prince from her dreams, her true love. She smiled. She could see the fairies that had been her aunts tiny and floating by the ceiling.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty." He smiled at her. "Do you remember me, from the forest?"

She nodded and saw the fairies fly out the window.

"Good. My name is Phillip, Prince Phillip. We are betrothed."

Betrothed, she knew that word. A word that had crushed her heart. She had been so happy, the happiest she had ever been, but then her aunts had taken it away, they had taken everything away, her home, her family, even her name and then came the nightmare.

"It's alright. Don't worry. I defeated Maleficent. She is gone. You are safe. I'll keep you safe." Prince Phillip said forcefully, he had seen the fear in her eyes as her smile ran away.

Rose lifted her hand, dropping the rose that was in it for some reason. She had to touch, to know. Those eyes were true, they had to be, they had been a part of her dreams for so long, her whole life really, but were they real?

Rose's hand came close to his face, her hand paused as she felt his warmth. She was still terrified she was in the dream or the nightmare. She cupped his face in her hand and he covered it with his own.

Rose's vision went blurry as her eyes filled. "Y-you're real?"

"Yes, I am real, as real now as when we met in the forest."

"What did we do in the forest?"

"I sang to you and danced with you and we looked at the castle together."

Rose nodded. "Where did we first meet?"

Phillip smiled, "One upon a dream. I've dreamed of dancing with you in my dreams my whole life, but I always woke up once I took you in my arms."

Rose nodded, a smile tentatively showed through her terrible fear. "When could we meet again?"

"At first you said never, but then you said that night in the cottage in the glen."

Rose nodded again, now for the final test. "What is my name?"

Phillip hesitated.

"What is my name!?" Rose begged.

"I don't know your name. You didn't tell me your name. I know your true name is Aurora, but I also know that isn't the name you grew up with." Phillip looked at her, concerned.

Rose nodded, tears streaming down her rosy cheeks. It was him.

"My name..." Rose began thickly. Years be being told not to ever tell her name to anyone restrained her.

"My name is..." Rose was fighting through all the restrictions she had lived under her whole life. This person was the person she loved, that she was betrothed to, that she could trust because he had stayed true from before.

Briar Rose was panting from the effort. She grabbed him by his shirt staring into those loving eyes, "My... name... is... Briar Rose."

Briar Rose began to sob. Phillip took her into his arms and held her close. She was free of one nightmare, but now all she knew for certain was that her old life was gone, every thing was going to be different now and she didn't know what was going to happen next.

She was a princess.

Prince Phillip held onto the bawling princess and let her cry herself out. There wasn't much choice in the matter. He knew that Maleficent had accomplished the curse, that must have been terrifying. Maleficent had said that Aurora has slept with dreams of her true love, him, but that didn't mean that what happened before then wouldn't have been terrifying. Considering what Maleficent had done to him, she would have made it as terrifying as she could.

Finally, Aurora stopped crying and he helped her sit up after pulling off the bolster, blanket and sheet.

They stood and looked out of the windows. She looked around. "Where am I?"

"You're at the top of the highest tower in your castle." Said Phillip guiding her out to the balcony, then he laughed a little, "Trust Maleficent to put you way up here just to make it that much harder to rescue you."

"Oh, I don't remember that." Aurora looked down.

"I remember my aunts, the fairies, taking me to a room they called mine. They gave me a crown they forged out of thin air and they put it on my head as a symbol of my right and royal duty." Aurora was shaking. Phillip lead her back to the bed and let her sit again.

He knelt before her and asked, "Are you okay?"

"No." She whispered.

"What's wrong?"

"Everything. They took everything and gave me this crown instead."

"Everything?" Phillip was confused.

Aurora nodded. "My home is...was the cottage. This is where the princess dies in all the stories, and I don't want to die. You're here. They took my clothes, they made this today for me, even shoes. Aunt Merryweather could never make shoes that fit right. I couldn't bring anything from home. They even took my name. They say my name is the Princess Aurora, but it isn't, not really."

"Auror...Briar Rose." Phillip began and she looked at him tentatively. "I know this must be so very confusing. The fairies lied to you to keep you safe from Maleficent. I was there. I remember. You were a newborn. Our parents betrothed us so we could protect your kingdom. Maleficent was being evil and abusing your kingdom. She wasn't invited but she came anyway and cursed you. It was awful. I couldn't do anything I was just eight years old. But seeing your mother, your real mother, Queen Leah holding you, sobbing because her heart was broken, she was losing you to that curse. They tried burning all the spinning wheels but knew that wouldn't be enough. You needed to go into hiding and me too.

"Maleficent..." Phillip began and could see her fear in her eyes as she said the name. "It's okay. I killed her. She's dead. I am sure of that."

Briar Rose nodded but her shoulders were bunched up still.

"What happened?" he asked, dreading the answer.

"She was in my head. Making me move. I had to follow her. I was so scared. We walked through the fireplace. Up stairs, dark stairs, no rails, but I couldn't. There was a little room and she made a spinning wheel appear. They warned me never to touch a spinning wheel, there were pictures in the sewing book. I was so scared. I tried not to. I stopped, it took everything I had, but she overpowered my body and made me touch it. I felt myself fall, then I was dreaming. Dreams were good. Why did you wake me up? Life is so painful." Rose begged as she looked at Phillip.

Phillip took her into his arms, he could feel her shaking. "I'm sorry, but the pain will fade. It'll be okay. Things will get better, you are in the right place, with your family and your home. It will be good."

"How can you be sure? My life is over, they took it all away."

"Yes, one life ended. There is a new life down there waiting for us." Phillip gestured to the stairs. "My own ended too." Phillip said quietly.

"Wait. What?" asked Briar Rose pulling back to look at his eyes.

"Twice, actually. The day Maleficent cursed you, I could no longer be a prince. I had to leave my father and I spent the next sixteen years hiding from Maleficent. I moved all over the continent hiding as a squire or apprentice or a student. Today that life has ended too. I know how you are feeling. I have to be a prince again."

A tremulous smile began to shine through from Briar Rose. "I guess you do. But what is a continent?"

Phillip was surprised by the question, continent seemed like such a basic concept but she didn't know. What had the fairies taught her? He thought to himself, but answered her, "Ah, a continent is how the land is divided."

"Oh, okay," but he could see she didn't really understand the concept. He'd have to find a map and show her.

He moved some of the hair that had fallen onto her beautiful face out of the way and asked, "Are you ready to meet your real parents and your kingdom?"

"I am not sure what to do?"

"It's easy, once we enter the throne room, where your parents are. I'll guide you. We'll stop and I'll bow and you curtsy."

"What's a curtsy?"

"Um, you put your foot like this, hold out your skirt and dip like this." Prince Phillip demonstrated. "Can you do that?"

Rose stood and tried it. She was as graceful as a bird in flight. "Yes, I guess I can."

"Yes, very good. Much better then me. Then you can go hug your parents. They'll be right in front of us so you won't be able to miss them. Your mother looks so much like you and she'll be wearing a crown, so will your father. He is tall and skinny and has a black beard with three points. My father will be there too, he is short, fat with a short white beard and hair."

"Um, what's a beard?" asked Rose shyly.

"A beard is hair on their faces."

"Oh," said Rose quietly, looking down again.

Phillip could tell she was feeling bad. "I know there are so many new things. Didn't the fairies teach you anything?"

"I thought they did. They taught me how to cook and clean and paint. We would go into the forest and thy would teach me about the plants and animals. I'm sorry."

"No, don't be sorry. It's okay. They had to keep you hidden and there are so many things that don't get taught if the subject doesn't come up. They kept you safe and that is important, it won't take long to learn everything you need to know."

"Really?"

"I'm sure of it." Phillip said, though part of him was disturbed by her ignorance of basic things, as he lead her down the stairs.

"My room is just down here. I better change into something fancier." They were still several floors away from the throne room. He had wanted a room that he could see the sunset from. It was pretty far up in the castle.

"Why?"

"So I look like a prince and not a woodsman."

"Is that important?"

"Today, it is."

"Oh, okay." said Rose as they walked to his room.

"Ah, you better wait out here while I change." Phillip said as she tried to enter with him.

"Okay." Rose felt her stomach clench, she did something wrong again. She always helped her aunts change clothes, didn't anything they taught her apply here?

"I won't take long. Just stay right there." He pointed to a chair next to some flowers that were looking a little wilted.

Phillip changed as fast as he could. He was a royal, generally he could tell the nobility to sod off, but the Return of the Princess Aurora was supposed to be a big deal, so he had to dress up. At least he didn't need to get into his armor, that needed extra people to put on. That took up several trunks for traveling.

He came out and saw Rose sitting quietly looking pensive, but the vase of flowers were beautiful.

"How do I look?" He said with a smile.

"Like a prince." Rose said smiling back, not that she knew, but it seemed like the gracious thing to say.

Phillip looked around, it was still very quiet. "Have you seen anyone?"

Rose shook her head.

"Oh boy. I hope I don't have to kiss everyone."

"What?" asked Rose.

"To break the spell on you, your true love, me, had to kiss you. I had thought the spell would only effect you but when I got here after defeating Maleficent, I found the whole place asleep. I thought kissing you would break the whole spell. I guess I have to kiss everyone to have them wake up. That might take a while." Phillip sighed.

"Why a while?"

"There are thousands of people and hundreds of rooms, it might take a few days to kiss them all before we can celebrate your return. Well, we might as well start with our parents. Oh man, I hope it doesn't have to be on the lips." Phillip groaned as he lead them to the throne room not noticing the much healthier flowers sitting in the vase.

As they passed down to the next level they could see several servants coming awake as they came down the stairs.

"Oh, good, it looks like we only have to get near them." said Phillip.

Soon they greeted their parents and Phillip held out her hand to invite her to dance. It was wonderful to dance with her, just like in the forest. It was a pure dance of love, like dancing on a cloud. There were only the two of them and they could not have told you if there was music playing or not.

Then King Stefan put his hand on Philip's shoulder. "Phillip!"

Phillip and Rose came back from the clouds of love.

"Ah, yes. King Stefan."

"We got word that there are servants downstairs that won't wake up."

"Oh, okay. I guess I wasn't close enough."

"Close enough?"

"Well, I guess we should ask the fairies, but so far it seems like I had to kiss her to awake her up, but everyone else wakes up as long as I or we get close. Take me to them and you'll see." He turned to walk away, but Rose held his hand tightly.

"It's okay. You can come." said Phillip kindly.

A servant let the kings, queen, prince and princess to the lower levels, and as the prince approached the servants began to awake.

"How interesting," said King Stefan.

"Indeed, and it's better then kissing you all," commented Phillip.

"Kissing us all?" asked Hubert.

"Well, I had to kiss Aurora awake, so it logically followed that I would have to kiss everyone awake," said Phillip.

"Ah, yes, but why was everyone asleep?" asked Stefan.

"I guess the curse or the Merryweather's counter spell made that happen, but we should ask them. Where are they?" Phillip asked.

"The last time I saw them they were in the observer box, they were fighting over the color of Aurora's dress," said Queen Leah. Leah looked at Rose's dress.

Rose looked down, her dress was pink. She frowned, as she plucked at the skirt, it had been blue.

"Have people search the castle and the town, check every trunk and cupboard. Make sure everyone is awake and accounted for. I do not want anyone left sleeping forever." Phillip stated and servants ran off.

"King Stefan. After we talk to the fairies, and something to eat, I think a quick tour of the castle, grounds and town are in order, just to make sure everyone is awake." Phillip said.

"Good idea," said King Stefan.

They passed through the Great Hall and spent a few minutes with the nobles, gentry and people and then were escorted to a small room with the fairies.

After some pleasantries Phillip asked, "Do you understand the curse? Because the entire castle and village were asleep and kissing Aurora woke her, but I only have to get near everyone else to wake them up. We just found some people downstairs that didn't wake because I hadn't gotten close enough to them."

"Oh, that wasn't the curse. That was us. We didn't want anyone to miss Aurora's Return," said Flora, matter-of-factly.

"Ah-ha. Okay. Could you go check and make sure everyone is awake?" asked Phillip.

"Of course. It won't take long," said Flora happily.

The fairies stood.

"Aunt Flora?" spoke up Rose. She had been in the background but desperately needed to ask some questions.

"Yes, dear."

Rose's hands fluttered by her blue skirt. "Why?"

"Why what dear?"

"Why didn't you teach me...this place?" She gestured around her.

Flora and the others sat looking sad, "We had to keep you safe from Maleficent."

"I know that, but I don't know so much, like continents and curtsies and-and everything. I don't know anything."

Flora sighed. "We taught you all we could teach you, but we had to keep you ignorant of certain things so you would be ordinary and unremarkable. We hid you as best as we knew how. We're sorry we failed. We tried to keep you safe from your young man, had we known it was Prince Phillip we wouldn't have left so early, you wouldn't have been cursed."

Rose nodded.

She hesitated and the fairies who had raised her knew something was on her mind.

"What is it, dear?"

"Who am I?"

Flora and Fauna exchanged looks, but Merryweather spoke up. "You are both our Briar Rose, and you are their Princess Aurora." Merryweather gestured to Stefan and Leah. "Things will be different now, but you are strong and can learn to do everything they need."

Rose nodded again. She glanced from her aunts to her parents and back, then she bit her lip, she was shaking. "Do you still love me?" she asked quietly.

Five people put their arms around her and said, "We do love you. We love you so much."

And a girl who was feeling cut off and lost from everything she thought she knew, felt love from both of her families and wept from happiness and love.

Phillip and Hubert also hugged as they felt the love. Servants brought in some easy to eat foods for everyone to eat.

Then there was a rather large spontaneous procession as Phillip and the fairies checked all the houses of the village and wings of the castle to make sure everyone was awake.

After the hours of walking most of the court had gone back to the Great Hall to wait for the Prince and other royals to finish the spell breaking.

As they pass by the royal garden Rose squealed, "Oh, it's so beautiful." and dashed into the garden to enjoy the plants and soft grass. She kicked off her shoes and romped around the grass, placed a hand on a nice tree and then spotted a sickly plant off to one side.

"Oh you poor dear, what's wrong with you?" Rose said as she glided over. The fairies and the royals began to gather to see what she was doing.

Rose was looked under the leaves, and dug in the dirt with her hands. She touched the earth to her tongue to taste it and spit it out again. The Kings and Queen looked a little shocked by the tasting and spitting. She broke off a leaf and tasted it too. Spitting it out after a moment.

"I know just what you need," said the princess. She lifted her skirt and urinated at the base of the plant.

The royals were definitely nonplussed. They looked to the fairies but they were not in the slightest concerned at what the princess was doing.

Flora came forward, "Very good, Rose dear, it will be fine in a few days."

"Thank you, Aunt Flora."

"You're welcome, dear."

"How about we go back to the Great Hall and have something to eat?" said Phillip to try and move things along.

"That sounds really good now, but let me wash my hands first." said the princess as she went to the fountain to wash.

"Ah, dear. What are some of your favorite foods?" asked Leah who came up and linked arms with her daughter.

"I really like berries, and roast carrots and beets. There is also dandelion salad, Hmm. That would taste good now, it's been so warm today."

Leah smiled and then nodded to a servant who ran off with the list.  
>"Did you do much of the cooking?" Leah asked.<p>

"Well, Aunt Merryweather worked really hard on most of the cooking, though I love to help her."

"That sounds wonderful dear." said Leah as she reluctantly handed her daughter over to her husband to talk for a few moments. Leah wanted most more time with her daughter but she had some things to do first. Leah slowed and came up next to Merryweather the fairy.

"Merryweather, what did you feed my daughter?" Leah asked more urgently then she desired but there was little time.

She had been in contact with the King and Queen of Corona and their daughter, the Lost Princess, Rapunzel had come home a few months prior as a vegetarian, because she could talk to the animals. While that was not a particular problem for the kitchens, Leah wanted to make sure there was food available for her daughter to eat.

Rapunzel had other issues as well, having grown up with just the kidnapper, who she had thought of as her mother her whole life. Rapunzel had shown inappropriate behaviors because she hadn't known any better. It looked like Aurora was the same way.

Leah had long ago talked with tutors to plan a princess curriculum for her daughter, but now that she was home they obviously needed to update that plan.

"Oh, all kinds of things, carrots, squash, rutabagas," said Merryweather.

"What about meat?" asked Leah.

"No, we never ate that. She is friends with the animals. While she understands that predators eat prey, we don't need to, so we don't."

"Okay. Would you mind explaining that people here eat meat, but that we have special dishes just for her that are all vegetables?"

And so the court finally had a long delayed meal. The princess Aurora keep her eyes on her plate during the meal, however.

As they were finishing the princess' birthday cake, a report came in that a mob of goons had been seen climbing the Forbidden Mountain.

There was a huddle of the royals as they processed the news. Rose didn't understand most of what they were saying but she did understand that Phillip was going to go and lead the expedition.

"I'm going too," Rose said, to stave off the rising panic in her belly.

"What? But that is unheard of," spouted Hubert.

"You just heard it. I don't know what I can do to help, but I know I need to be near Phillip now. Please." Rose begged as she took Phillip hand in her own.

"It'll be okay. I'll keep her safe. We can keep her safe in the camp."

"Are you sure?" Asked King Stefan.

"Yes, I am," Answered Rose firmly.

Stefan, Phillip and Rose were most of the way up the Mountain. They were waiting as engineers bridged the latest gap Maleficent had made in the causeway during Phillip's escape.

"What are we going to do once we reach the top?" asked Rose.

"There will be fighting as we try to destroy the goons. Men will be hurt. It will be quite awful, really. That's why you should be at the castle, you really shouldn't be exposed to something so terrible," said King Stefan.

"I need to stay with Phillip." She put her arms around Phillip's arm and held him close.

"Very well, my daughter. Can you explain why?"

Rose bit her lip. "He's the only one I can trust right now."

"Surely you can trust your mother and the fairies to keep you safe in the castle."

Rose shook her head. "The fairies were my aunts and lied to me my whole life. You and mother sent me away with them."

Stefan looked sad and nodded, "I think I understand. Please understand we were trying to protect you. It broke our hearts to send you away but it was the only way that gave you a chance to live."

Rose took her father's hand. "I think I understand too. I hope I can learn to trust you, like I did my aunts."

Phillip sighed. "You won't be able too. Having to give up so much hurts so very deeply. We have missed being with our parents most of our lives and it won't be the same. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too," said Stefan. "I wish there had been another way, but Maleficent cursed you and there was no other way we could think of, and I've thought long and hard." Phillip could see the deep lines around Stefan's eyes.

"Please, remember we did all this out of our love for you," said Stefan.

"I know, I'm trying, but it's so hard," said Rose.

A captain came up to the royals. "Sire, the bridge is almost complete, we are ready to move out."

"Good, good. Continue the assault," said King Stefan.

Phillip looked around at the castle at the top of the mountain. "I wish we could see what was going on up there. With the causeway damaged we can't even send scouts ahead."

"What would you want to see?" asked Rose.

"I would want to see what the goons are doing, are they preparing defenses or trying to escape some other way," said Phillip.

Rose looked up, there were eagles riding thermals around the mountain. She sang loudly and soon an eagle swopped down and landed on her bare arm. After a short conversation she tossed the eagle back into the air. The eagle dove toward the forest.

"Most of the goons are in the castle but some are trying to climb down toward my forest. I sent him to alert the wolves, they hate the goons and will kill them when they come down."

"Ah, good. Very good. Thank you. Thank you very much," said Stefan, but he shared a look with Phillip.

Soon they were facing the ruined drawbridge, under cover of their shields. Archers loosed arrows back and forth, but not hitting anything.

The eagles cried down to Rose that all the goons they could see were on the walls.

They tried to drag open the drawbridge with grappling hooks, but the bridge crumbled under the pressure.

"Fairies, can you help us?" asked King Stefan.

"I don't think we can, our magic doesn't work that way," said Flora.

Stefan looked disappointed, but Phillip spoke up. "I'm not asking you to fight the battle, but just do like you did for me when we were escaping, a bridge to get across and a barrier to keep the arrows off as we cross, we will do the fighting."

Phillip knew from reports that the fairies did not join in combat, but they had done what they could to help him escape, they hadn't fought but stopping the boulders, boiling oil and arrows and making bridges had been enough.

Flora thought hard for a moment, "Very well, we can do that."

So a magic rainbow bridge appeared and the army charged across. Rose stayed behind with the fairies and most of the engineers.

The battle was brutal but short. Goons were nasty but small and generally not all that tough. The spindly bird-like goons were easy to kill, the boar-like ones were much tougher but not all that smart; they died too under the onslaught. Soon, it was over and the engineers began to construct a bridge for the army to return with. In the meantime, they swept the castle and destroyed everything that remained.

Soon, they were being welcomed by Queen Leah rushing out to hug her daughter and her husband.

At the victory feast, Hubert waited, and then when his son and the princess held hands he brought up the subject that was most on his mind.

"So, you two lovebirds, what do you say to having the wedding tonight?"

Rose looked puzzled, she wasn't a bird and birds don't get married.

"No, father." Phillip said firmly, then he gestured to Stefan and Leah. "They missed their daughter's entire life, they deserve time with her."

Hubert looked crestfallen but there was nothing to say against that.

"You missed most of my life too, and we need to spend some time together too." Phillip said more gently.

Hubert slowly nodded and smiled. Grandchildren would be wonderful but his son was right, they needed some time together.

After a few wonderful weeks Hubert and Phillip went home leaving Rose with her parents.

Rose had lessons with tutors and her mother. She devoured knowledge, making up for years of learning. She wanted to be a good princess and she was becoming one, for she had the heart of a true princess: loving, kind and compassionate.

She became more then Briar Rose the peasant girl of the forest, she transformed into something more, she became the Princess Aurora.

It took years to learn the many small things normal humans learn as children, and she spent lots of time with children, they helped her learn those things more easily then the etiquette mistress taught.

There were often visits between Phillip and Rose. They would sit and talk for a while about what they had learned and done. But after not too long, they would become silent, and just look into each others eyes and hold each other's hands. There were times they wanted to do more, but they knew it wasn't time yet.

Rose could see the mating rituals of humans now, and it was so different from how the birds and the animals did it. Human females seemed to do most of the colorful displays rather then the males. Queen Leah had described sex in great detail, but there were so many questions Rose needed answered, and the answers often created more questions. It was taking time to answer as many as they could, and sometimes the only answer was "I don't know."

She was running out of questions to ask that had answers. She didn't like the answer "I don't know," but she would ask so many questions of so many learned people, but they all admitted eventually that they didn't know any more. Some tried to learn more, but learning took time.

Then it was time, it had taken years, but she knew it was.

She lead Phillip on a walk to her forest, as they often did when he visited her and they stopped to lean on the tree and looked at the castle.

She felt so much like herself again for a moment.

"You can ask me now," she said after a long period of comfortable quiet.

Phillip paused in his thoughts for some time as he pondered that statement. He knew what she meant. He was as ready as he could be, but this was a step into the unknown.

He took his arm from around her waist, reached behind his neck and unclasped the gold chain he had been keeping his mother's engagement ring on. He knelt before her and asked, "Princess Aurora, my dearest Briar Rose. Would you be so kind as to marry me?"

There was a long pause as she considered it. He had done it properly as far as she could tell and she could tell he loved her because he respected her and cared for her so tenderly. And she knew she loved him for more then the feeling in her heart.

"Yes, my Phillip, yes."

He slipped the ring on her finger and they kiss, a long, slow kiss that made the sun speed across the sky.

The wedding was a massive state affair, that took extensive planning to set up. Hubert was slowing down, and arrived in a carriage that had taken the journey in easy stages.

Phillip stood near the alter in the cathedral in white and gold, a crested sash across his chest. He waited patiently, he knew she would come when she was ready. He smiled at Queen Leah in the front row with Three Good Fairies behind her. She smiled back, they were like family, she was like his mother, because he had lost his own so long ago.

He had had the most uncomfortable conversation with her he ever had. He had talked to his father about what was going to happen tonight, but he had felt like he was missing pieces to the puzzle. So he had gone to the one woman he trusted most. He had paused outside her door for some time, somehow charging a fire-breathing dragon had been easier then knocking. He had stammered out his question, Leah loved him and told him the truth, that he knew she would tell him. He was going to be a good lover to Rose.

Then the big doors open. Rose stood alone for a long moment a glorious vision of white against the dark background of the room beyond. Then a long beam of sunlight streamed into the cathedral and shattered into a thousand rainbows from the crystals sewn into her dress, and the room sighed with the vision of her perfection.

Their eyes met and they forgot everything else. They were together before the alter and they hear words and said what they needed to say then he lifted her veil signaling the start of their new adventure together and they kissed, lost in the clouds.

There were people to meet and food to eat, but then Phillip sneaked them out and they went to the topmost tower to find some peace and quiet.

They stood on the balcony for a while watching the festivities.

"Are you happy?" Phillip asked.

"I'm with you, can I be anything but happy?" Rose smiled.

Phillip smiled and ran his hand down her back and pulled her close. "Are you ready?"

"So very much," said Rose lifting her face, closing her eyes and they joined their lips and their bodies together in tenderest love.

Their honeymoon was a time of quiet visits to many lands to see the things she had only read about. He showed her the places he grew and learned in, like she had shown him her forest.

They soon presented Hubert with two beautiful blonde twin girls, though he died not long after. They ascended King Hubert's throne and ruled together.

They were good rulers, fair and just, because they had seen the harshness of life that most of their people work through every day. They taught their children well to know and remember those things so they would be good rulers too someday.  
> <p>


End file.
